Neurosurgery at Ochsner

The neurosurgery program at Ochsner is the only neurosurgical program in Louisiana ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Additional honors and awards include:

• Ranked as a Top 50 program for 12 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report

• Top 10 in U.S. for Lowest Adjusted Risk of Mortality (likelihood of death from a neurosurgical disease)

• ALS Certified Treatment Center of Excellence

• American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Comprehensive Stroke Center designation

• Becker’s Top 100 Hospitals for Neurosurgery & Spine Programs

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Center of Excellence

• CareChex Top 25 for Neurosurgical Care

• Center of Excellence for Spine Care for Employers by Contigo

• Employer Centers of Excellence Network designation as a Center of Excellence

• Healthgrades 5-Star Award in Neurosurgery for more than a decade

• Healthgrades Excellence Award in Neurosurgery for more than a decade

• Healthgrades Top 100 Hospitals for Stroke Care

• Huntington’s Disease Society of America Level 2 Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence

• Joint Commission Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center

• National Association of Epilepsy Centers Level 4 Epilepsy Center designation (the highest available)

• North American Skull Base Society Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction

• Optum Center of Excellence designation

• Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center

The difference between neurology and neurosurgery is that neurosurgeons can perform surgeries, whereas neurologists are focused on the medical treatment of conditions that affect the brain, spine and nerves. Meet our team.

• Alan Appley, MD, FACS

• Erin Biro, MD

• Benjamin Brown, MD

• Cuong “CJ” Bui, MD

• Ilias Caralopoulos, MD

• Daniel Denis, MD, FRCSC

• Esther Dupépé, MD, MSc

• Vernard Fennell, MD, MSc

• Bradley Hall, DO, MBA

• Justin Haydel, MD

• Seth Hayes, MD

• Lora Kahn, MD

• James Kalyvas, MD

• Jonathan Riffle, DO

• Roger Smith, MD

• Marcus Ware, MD, PhD

• Farrah Dean, NP

• Emily Montz, PA-C

• Kristene Olinde, PA-C

We offer neurosurgery programs to serve Louisiana and Mississippi. Find a location near you.

The neurosurgery program and trauma center at Ochsner provide general and neurovascular neurosurgery to treat many conditions, including:

• Brachial plexus injuries — injuries to the nerves that carry messages about movement and sensation from the brain to the arm, shoulder and hand

• Cerebral aneurysms —blood-filled bulge in a brain artery

• Chiari malformations — the cerebellum (part of the brain) pushes through an opening in the skull

• Chronic pain and headache

• Craniosynostosis and craniofacial abnormalities — birth defects that interfere with the development of the skull, face or head

• Metastatic (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) brain and spine tumors

• Nerve tumors

• Neurofibromatosis — tumors on the nerve tissue caused by genetic disorders

• Normal pressure hydrocephalus — fluid buildup in the cavities of the brain

• Peripheral nerve disorders — damage to nerves that carry messages from the central nervous system (brain and spine) to the rest of your body

• Peripheral nerve entrapments — compression of a nerve between other body structures

• Pituitary lesions — tumors that develop in the pituitary gland in the skull

• Primary brain tumors — tumors that develop in the brain

• Scoliosis — sideways curvature of the spine

• Spinal tumors

• Spine trauma and spinal cord injury — sudden injury to the spine or spinal cord

• Subdural and intraparenchymal hematomas — blood that pools within specific areas of the brain

• Vascular malformations — blood vessels that didn’t develop correctly

As members of a destination program designed to serve patients throughout the region, Ochsner neurosurgeons perform some of the most common neurosurgical procedures, as well as advanced neurosurgical care that isn’t available at other facilities in our region. Treatment options include:

• Advanced endovascular procedures to treat blood vessel issues using minimally invasive techniques

• Advanced techniques for hydrocephalus

• Botox injections

• Deep brain stimulation for movement disorders

• Fetal MRI and evaluation

• Functional MRI — an MRI that is used to measure blood flow changes during brain activity

• Gamma Knife radiosurgery and conformal radiosurgery — treatments that use precise doses of radiation to treat tumors

• Healthy Back program

• Integrative therapy program for brain health

• Minimally invasive craniotomy, which is awake brain surgery, and endoscopic-assisted surgery, which is image guided surgery, including stereotactic radiosurgery

• Minimally invasive surgery for spinal stenosis and disc disease

• Motion preservation surgery and disc replacement

• Multidisciplinary pediatric brain tumor care

• Responsive neurostimulation — a pacemaker-like device that monitors brain waves and uses electrical stimulation to stop seizures before they begin

• Robotic-assisted laser ablation — using a laser beam to remove cells

• Robotic-assisted spinal fusion and spinal surgery

• Robotic-assisted stereotactic EEG — a procedure that helps the neurosurgeon determine where seizures begin

• Spinal cord stimulation — relieving pain by sending electrical currents into the spine

• Vagus nerve stimulation — treatments that direct electricity to specific areas of the brain to counteract seizures